The Stars of Silent Pictures

By: Michael Russell
Submitted: 2007-01-17 10:59:22
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Ever since the beginning of the cinema, the public was always particularly interested in the leading actors and actresses of these movies. They were called "stars". They had such a public appeal that the success of a certain movie would depend largely on the popularity of the cast. Each "star" in this "star system" was an actor or actress who had his own distinctive qualities. They also had their own famous Hollywood name or image. Others may have their own signature tag lines.

Charlie Chaplin, for example, was called the Little Tramp because he was always in a pair of baggy trousers and wearing a battered Derby hat. Harold Lloyd was known for his horn-rimmed glasses. Buster Keaton always kept a straight face. However, these comedians did not rely on these images the public had of them because they had real talent. Their slapstick and pantomime was a real work of art.

When a certain actor was given a unique role in a film, it became his trademark. One kind of trademark was that of the vampire or commonly known as the "vamp". Theda Bara was the first vamp. She redefined what the public thought vampires looked like. Because of her, a "vamp" meant a sexy, beautiful woman who was fatally attractive to men. Theda Bara was soon followed by another actress called Gloria Swanson who was then eventually replaced by Clara Bow, known as the "It Girl". Each actress was able to create their own brand of vamp.

For men in the film industry, the ultimate symbol of masculine glamour was Rudolph Valentino. This trademark came from his most famous Desert picture entitled The Sheik which was filmed in 1921. Even unattractiveness became glamorized in Hollywood. This was exemplified by Lon Chaney. He was a character actor who played the roles of various monsters and cripples such as in the movie The Phantom of the Opera in 1925 and the Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1923. Drama also had its stars like the Gish sisters, Dorothy and Lillian Gish. They were renowned dramatic actresses. In Western movies, the leading cowboy actors were William S. Hart and Tom Mix.

In love stories, there were no one else but "America's Sweetheart" Mary Pickford and the dashing, debonair and romantic Douglas Fairbanks. Mary Pickford had the perfect image of innocence and purity while Douglas Fairbanks was flawless in his roles as beautifully costumed heroes in the movies Robin Hood in 1922, The Thief of Baghdad in 1924 and The Black Pirate in 1926. The Black Pirate was an exceptional film made using color photography.

As time went by, these epic films were made more frequently and had more startling and imaginative effects. Because of the magnitude of these films it wasn't only the actors and actresses that became famous. The people behind the scenes, like the directors and producers, also became quite known to the public. Cecil B. De Mille was a director who became known as the director of spectacles with biblical themes. The classic movie Ben Hur was made in 1926 and it was the most expensive production made in the era of silent films. It was Frank Niblo's adaptation of a General Lew Wallace novel, Ben Hur, A Tale of the Christ. The movie cost over $400 million. The high point of the movie was an intense chariot race which climaxed in a spectacular accident. In the 1950s, a second version of Ben Hur was made and was equally successful.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Movies

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